'Gazans will receive everything they need if Hamas disappears' says Arab analyst

Hamas sees humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza as integral to its role as the governing authority in the enclave, and fears that the loss of oversight would be another step in the organization’s fall from power, says an Arab analyst.

Foundation for Defense of Democracies research fellow Hussain Abdul-Hussain who has largely focused on the situations in Lebanon and Syria as an analyst, recently addressed the competing narratives around the humanitarian aid situation in the Gaza Strip.

In a post to 𝕏, what Hussain wrote affirmed that many Palestinians in Gaza “are in desperate need for aid,” while also affirming that Hamas interferes with aid distribution.

“Gazans are in desperate need for aid,” Hussain wrote.

Gazans are in desperate need for aid.
Please understand why the are not getting much.
Aid walks on two legs, supply and distribution.
Gaza supply centers are flush with all kinds of food and medicine.
Distribution is the problem.
Hamas sees distribution as its job as the…
— Hussain Abdul-Hussain (@hahussain) July 25, 2025

“Please understand why the are not getting much. Aid walks on two legs, supply and distribution,” he explained. “Gaza supply centers are flush with all kinds of food and medicine. Distribution is the problem.”

His post came after the IDF and the office of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) refuted claims by the UN and several NGOs that Israel was blocking aid from entering the Gaza Strip.

Contrary to popular narratives, there is NO LIMIT on the number of humanitarian aid trucks that can enter Gaza.

The real bottleneck lies with the UN and international organizations, whose collection of aid from the crossings dropped sharply over the past month.

Only after… pic.twitter.com/c8eBfHxFrs
— COGAT (@cogatonline) July 25, 2025

🎥 WATCH: 950 trucks worth of aid, currently waiting in Gaza❗️for international organizations to pick up and distribute to Gazan civilians. This is after Israel facilitated the aid entry into Gaza. pic.twitter.com/aQTR7Sryhs
— LTC Nadav Shoshani (@LTC_Shoshani) July 22, 2025

“Hamas sees distribution as its job as the government of Gaza and thinks that if it loses this role, it will become irrelevant and not in charge,” Hussain explained. “Hamas has therefore obstructed distribution by terrorizing aid workers and Gazans.”

The decision by Israel to change the distribution of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots, which saw the beginning of distribution by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), appears to have contributed to a financial crisis for Hamas.

Part of the justification provided by Israel and the United States for establishing the GHF was the claim, supported by hostage testimony and the reports of Palestinians living in the Strip, that Hamas was confiscating significant portions of the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip under the oversight of UN agencies and partners.

Hussain also wrote that “In areas where Hamas has lost control, Gaza residents are in a better situation than in areas where Hamas still rules in the shadows.”

A recent report in The Wall Street Journal highlights how the Popular Forces militia group in southern Gaza has been attempting to create a Hamas-free zone in Rafah.

Yasser Abu Shabab, the leader of the Popular Forces, told the Journal that his militia has “secured” several square kilometers of land in the Rafah area in order to create a safe place for Palestinians wishing to be free from Hamas.

Abu Shabab said the militia’s “primary goal is to separate Palestinians who have nothing to do with Hamas from the fire of war.”

“For the past seven weeks, our neighborhood has become the only area in Gaza governed by a Palestinian administration not affiliated with Hamas since 2007,” he claimed. “Our armed patrols have successfully kept Hamas and other militant groups out. As a result, life here no longer feels like life in Gaza.”

Hamas has accused Abu Shabab of treason, espionage on behalf of foreign elements, establishing an armed cell, armed rebellion and more. It recently called on him to turn himself in, threatening to try him in absentia for his crimes.

The Popular Forces has engaged in several firefights with Hamas, even supported by the IDF, as Israel has sought degrade Hamas’ ability to govern, as well as its ability to fight.

Hussain concluded his post, stating, “If Hamas disappears, Gaza residents will receive everything they need in the blink of an eye.”